Deoxyribonucleic acid
by xxicedcoffeexx
Summary: "Alex Rider" And thats when it clicked. Those eyes, that hair… Rider. Stunningly good looking, troublemaker. caught my little sister in his trap. Older, foreign, cute accent. His sheer charm put her under his spell. My little sister had fallen and he had kept her from my reach. HE was a Rider. John Rider.
1. Chapter 1

A woman in her late 30's stepped out of her car out the front of Gateway High School. She had long brown hair strung up in a neat ponytail, soft blue eyes sweeping to entrance of the San Franciscan school. Kathy Rionie always loved the start of term. Watching all the kids come in to the school gates, run to their friends, laugh, smile, fresh faced and clear minded. So at ease, not worried about homework or assessments, it was easily the most enjoyable part of the year, the first day.

Kathy had grown up in a big family and always knew she wanted to work with kids. She was the second oldest of five children with an older brother and three younger sisters. Her parents were always so obbsessed with education and making sure their children were brought up right so that when it was time to leave they would be prepared. Kathy always admired them for that, they were good parents, not too harsh or too easy but they were fair. So she descided that she would be a teacher so that she could do the same.

Kathy has been teaching at Gateway High School for 13 years now, coming straight out of college so all her teaching skills had come from this school. It was an understatement to say she felt very attached to the place. At 37, and with two kids of her own she felt that she was in a very comfortable place and her life was perfect. No comlications, no stress, lots of family and friends; she was happy, and nothing was going to change that. Right?

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"Okay, you all good dears? Alex, honey did you remember your lunch?"

"Yeah lizz, I got it."

"We'll be fine mum, I'll look after him." said Sabina, ruffling Alex's hair.

"Okay, well, have a good day. Make some friends Alex." replied Elizabeth Pleasure, with a wink.

It was the start of the school year and Alex's first day, needless to say he was nervous. He had finally been given the chance at a normal life and he did not want to mess it up. He wanted to make friends and get a social life, get some good grades so that he would be able to attend a good uni, land a job that doesn't involve lunatics and terrorists. It was a lot to aim for and considering all that he had been through, he knew that he would struggle if not from the pressure he put himself under than from the demons of his past haunting every decision he ever made. Yeah, it was going to be hard but he just thanked God he didn't have to do it all alone and that the Pleasures had filled a slot in his heart that had been missing for far too long. He finally had a family.

"Now Al, I know that you have dealt with terrorist, raging psychopaths and idiots brandishing guns, BUT.. Nothing can compare to the battlefield that is this school" exclaimed Sabina in a whisper to add dramatic effect while approaching the front office. "So, prepare yourself" she ordered grasping the door handle, closing her eyes and taking a deep steady breath. Sighing and opening her eyes she twisted the door handle and let Alex through. Much to his amusement, the office was just like any other. Turning to Sabina with his eyebrows raised in a questioning way as if to say "battlefield ay?" She just flashed him with one of her charming smiles and strutted to the front desk.

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The day was going splendidly for Kathy. She taught english and had a class in almost every year level so meeting all the little "newbies" as the older students called them, was an absolute pleasure while also getting to catch up with some old faces. Her last class of the day was year 10 and most of them she had taught before she noted as they filed into the classroom, smiling and greeting her. She started writing a summary of the terms work as she did at the start of every term just as the last of the stragglers drifted in.

"So, welcome back everyone. It's great to see you all again! Now all the kids that I've had before will remember this but for the new faces, at the start of the year I always go round the room and everyone introduces themselves to the class just so I can get to know you and you can get to know each other a little more so we will go down the role and start with Grace!"

As the kids take it in turns introducing themselves Kathys concentration wandered to the back of the room. There sat a kid she had never taught or seen around the school for that matter but she knew him from….Somewhere. That sandy blonde hair that hung past his ears and piercing brown eyes. Looking directly into her own as if he was staring into her mind. Shaking herself from the trace as Matt sat down she called the next person on the role.

"Alex Rider"

And thats when it clicked. Those eyes, that hair… Rider.

_Stunningly good looking, troublemaker. I didn't blame her. Rider. He caught my little sister in his trap with that cocky smile and witty sarcasm. Rider. Older, foreign, cute accent. His sheer charm put her under his spell. My little sister had fallen and he had kept her from my reach. Rider. She wouldn't see reason "I love him" she would say. Oh my little sister, she was brainwashed. My parents didn't understand. "Oh Helen, why?" Rider. He convinced her he loved her. She was too young to understand. 17 years old and she ran off with him. A 19 year old British boy. Rider. Taken. To live "Happily ever after" never to be heard from again. Rider. _

That was it. John Rider.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews, I hope this is good.**

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"_So have you meet our new neighbour?" _

_I look over my book to see my younger sister who is leaning forward in an armchair looking intently at me. Why yes I had seen our new neighbour. He was tall, handsome, nice looking muscles. Totally out of my league. But why was Helen so interested?_

"_Yep, troublemaker I'd say, should stay away from him." I reply standing up and walking out of the room but not before giving my sister a glare. Helen only being a year younger than me naturally made us very close while we were growing up. But as we grew into teens we sort of, drifted. I wanted grades, she wanted boys. Of course it was convenient for her to be naturally very smart therefore not having to study as hard as some, like me. And she was the favourite. You know in most families there's the smart one, the pretty one and the popular one. Well Helen was all of them and my parents are so proud. So, of course rivalry has stepped in and we are each other's competition. It's kind of sad. Toby, Helen and I are the oldest three, the other two being only 13 and 14 so we are split in two groups. Toby, the oldest resting on 19 has just started college which has been especially hard on me because since Helen and I have grown further apart, Toby and I have grown closer. Toby has always been kind of neutral though. Growing up with four younger sisters he has had to deal with more drama than any guy his age but he's close with all of us, but mostly Helen and I. _

_As I enter the kitchen I notice Helen trailing me. rolling my eyes I grab out the bread and start making myself peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "He's like, for real, no joke got a supermodel body though Kat. Oh and since you asked, yes I will have a sandwich thanks, you're too kind" she remarks, sarcasm dripping from her lips. "Make your own you little.."_

"_Katherine Amelia Beckett watch your language!" exclaims mum as she walks into the kitchen laden with groceries. _

"_Mum, Helens flirting with the new neighbour!"_

"_AM NOT" she yell back._

"_You so are! Don'_t deny it!" I retort bringing a finger up to her face.

"_GIRLS! Stop your bickering. The boy next door is a foreigner on a gap year or something renting the house for a few weeks and you are both going to leave him alone. Understood?"_

"_Yes mum" we respond. As we exit the room I receive an elbow in the stomach but before I can retaliate Helen is stomping up the stairs, my sandwich in her mouth. _

Kathy was shaken from her thoughts by her phone shrilling loudly. She put down the pot she was currently scrubbing and answered.

"Hey Kat, its Toby, what's up?"

"Oh my gosh, Tobes, thanks for getting back to me!" Blurts Cathy sighing in relief, "Do you remember that dudes name that got Helen to run off to England with him?"

"Uh…" Came the confused reply "yeah it was something.. Rider, right? Why do you ask?"

Kathy falls to the sofa head in her hands, "There's a boy in my year ten class. His names Alex Rider and he… He's that...that man in every way, from his messy hair to the way he talks. Its just scary and I thought I was imagining it but I just can't get it out of my head!"

There is silence from the other end of the line for a second then "Have you talked to him?"

"No, I could barely bring myself to look at him!"

"Well maybe you're just over thinking things! You said he was new right? So where's he from?"

"Um, Chelsea.. Yeah Chelsea in London"

"Well there you go, it was probably just the fact the kids British and has some features of the man and you just jumped to conclusions!"

No, Cathy knew it was more than that. Back in the classroom when she made eye contact with him, it was as if he knew her as well. However she did not express any further concerns to her brother and they promptly started planning for the family barbeque that was happening on the weekend.

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On the other side of town, Alex was ripping through box after box, making a mess of his room but not stopping. 'It has to be here' he thought, tearing open yet another box. After what felt like hours he finally yanked it from its current resting place, snapping it open and flicking through the pages until finally he found what he was looking for. The photo was old and tattered but it was the only one he had. It was a portrait of five teenagers one being his mother. Alex had always known his mother never kept in contact with her family after moving to England with John. Ian had told him they didn't approve of the decisions she made and they got in a massive fight which ended in her boarding a plane that night, buying a new phone the second she landed and never corresponding with her family again. The only thing she kept from her life in America was this photo. Ian told Alex the story when he was 10 and he never really thought about his mothers family until now. But that woman, with the long brown hair and soft blue eyes. She brought the memory of this photo back into Alex's head.

Standing abruptly, clinging the photo in his hand, he made his way over to his bed, laying down and studying the picture.

'It could be her' he thought to himself 'Or it could just be a coincidence… no. There's no such thing as coincidence.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Now I could say my dog ate my laptop or I'm suffering from "writers block" or a swarm of flesh eating flies have infested where I live and I'm currently living in an underground facility while the pest people go to town with their pest killing machines butttttttt the truth is I'm just really lazy :) But seriously I feel really bad cause I have gotten so many AMAZING reviews so thank you so so so so much! xoxox**

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_I walked out the door to start heading to school only to see Helen leaning over the fence having what seemed to be a very humorous conversation with the new neighbour. Sighing in frustration I stalk over to the fence. _

"_And then we just.. Oh hey Cat! John this is my sister Catherine, Cat this is John. He's military." She blurts out looking very pleased with herself. I raise an eyebrow at her then turn to John and stick out my hand which he takes with a "Pleased to meet you". Then I turn back to my sister setting my face in an unpleasant glare, "We have to go or we'll miss the bus" I state, not waiting for a reply I turn and stalk out the gate. About halfway down the street a huffing and puffing Helen screeches to a slow walk next to me. "Well he's a very pleasant person" She huffs smiling broadly at me. I don't reply and continue to glare at the ground. We walk in silence for a few minutes until we reach our stop. "You know you could have been a little nicer to him" she states resting her gaze on me. Giving a frustrated sigh I look up at her "Mum said to leave him alone." I answer with a hint of annoyance in my voice. "He was the one that started talking to me and I thought it would be rude to ignore him! My apologies if you don't think so." And with that she storms off into the bus that had just pulled up._

The regret had plagued Cathy for years. Since her little sister ran off with him, never to be heard from again. The regret that maybe, just maybe, if she had been a little bit nicer to John that day, she would still be able to talk to her little sister. The sadness that her children had never met a person she had grown up with and the sorrow she felt in the realization that Helen was probably half way across the world raising a family of her own but having to live with the feeling that her other family didn't care. Cathy didn't want to look at Alex not out of loathing but out of self disgust. Though the possibilities of this boy really being her sisters son were one in like 6 billion, it felt to Cathy like karma in some way. The kid had been shoved into her life to serve as a very unpleasant reminder of the mistakes she made which cause her sister to have to go off and start again. With a person that loved her and appreciated her. The way she should have.

Sighing with exhaustion Cathy looks up at the clock to see it flashing one thirty am. Rubbing her eyes and yawning she decides she should probably get a few hours sleep considering she has work tomorrow and heads up to bed.

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"Katherine Amelia Beckett, 36. Married to Maj. Matthew Blake Rionie, 38 (Marine Corps). Two children, Andy, 12 and Malia, 10."

Alex was frustrated. He had been up all night searching and hacking and that was all the information he could find. Obviously this lady lived a very boring, un-Rider-like life, considering the lack of a decent file or criminal record. She was a Beckett. That was the only interesting piece of information he had managed to scavenge. And it meant very little in the scheme of things. There could be a hundred Becketts out there for all he knew. Scratching his head in frustration, Alex closes his laptop and flops on his bed, knowing that no sleep will be gracing him tonight.

**I'm sorry this ones really short, my mind is not functioning and I seriously couldn't think of anything else to write without this chapter just going on and on and on and on. I'll hopefully make the next one better :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey StolenBook! Thank you for reviewing on all the chapter! Its really funny for me cause my english teacher said the exact same thing about me taking a long time to write something very short :) my procrastination skills are to a point! But yeah, thank you so much for taking the time to write the reviews, I really do try to fix up things you point out. And that goes for all of you reviewers out there! THank you! I've never really been a writer but I have way too many ideas running around in my head that I feel like it might explode if I don't make something of them. Just stick with me and hopefully, with your help, I may get better. And yeah this is a second chapter in under 24 hours AND its over 1000 words *Round of Applause* **

"_It's just for a few hours. Come on Cat plleeeeaaaassseee!" _

"_Absolutely not! I'm not covering for you this time! You can go, have a great time, but you are not dragging me into this! No way." _

"_Come on. I would do it for you and you know I would!"_

"_It's not the same! I have never asked you and never would ask you to straight out lie to our parents just so I could go to the movies with a guy I don't even know!"_

"_Fine, but you know, that thing that happened last year with Clay?" _

_A jolt of dread ran through my body, hell no, she wouldn't dare, _

"_Yeah well, I might accidently bring that up at dinner tomorrow night. You never know. It might just….slip" _

"_You are a horrible human being!" I scream at her, knowing she has won yet again._

_1 hour later_

"_Catherine where's your sister?" Asks mum, entering my room. _

"_Didn't she tell you? She has a group assessment due tomorrow so she went to the library with the girls to finish it. She said she'd be home by 7." I say, feeling disgust within myself for lying so easily to my own mother. _

"_Oh yes I do recall her saying something about that but I thought it was just an excuse for something else." Mum replied thoughtfully, leaving the room._

'_I'm going to kill her I swear to god.' I huff under my breath lying back down on my bed. _

And that went on for a few weeks, Helen sneaking out and Cathy covering for her. It wasn't until the 7th time that Helen got caught.

'_It's one in the morning would they all just shut up!' I think to myself as I crawl out of bed to see what all the ruckus is about. As I make my weary way down stairs the meaning of the raised voices become clear. _

"_I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BOY!"_

"_No you told me to leave him alone! And HE was the one who started talking to me!"_

"_HELEN, HE'S NINETEEN, YOU'RE SEVENTEEN! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!"_

"_HOW IS IT UNACCEPTABLE? IT WAS ONLY DINNER AND A FEW MOVIES! IT"S NOT LIKE WE WENT CLUBBING AND GOT DRUNK!"_

"_I think the point your mother is trying to make Helen, is that you lied to us. And we are both very disappointed in you."_

"_Oh don't give my that 'we only want what's best for you' BS! You just don't want me to be happy!"_

"_Get over yourself Helen, of course we want you to be happy! But you need to understand, That boy will not make you happy! He is too old for you, he will pressure you into things and we don't want you to be put in that position!"_

"_NO HE WON'T! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM!"_

"_OH AND I SUPPOSE YOU DO THAN!"_

"_BETTER THAN YOU!"_

"_HELEN! YOU ARE NOT TO SEE THIS BOY AGAIN! YOU UNDERSTAND ME? ITS NOT GOOD FOR YOU!"_

"_YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! YOU DON'T GET IT! I LOVE HIM!"_

_I stand there in complete and utter shock and by the lack of a relay, I gather my parents are the same. After what felt like a lifetime of silence, Helen emerges from the living room and stomps up the stairs. When I look back my parents are standing in the doorway, dad has his arm around mum's shoulders and she looks like shes been crying. Their gaze rests on me and suddenly I'm being pulled into an interrogation. Well this is just great. _

Cathy pondered over that night while sitting in the staff room waiting for the day to kick off. It had been a very bad night that night and she really didn't like thinking about it. Suddenly someone tapped her on the shoulder and she looked up to see Lea, one of her best friends, staring down at her. "May I sit down" she asked with a smirk before settling herself in a chair anyway.

"So, how's the new year going for you so far." she questions stirring her tea absentmindedly.

"Its good to be back! I don't know I just feel so bored in the holidays. What about you?"

They talk for a while, going through a range of topics from what they did in the holidays to their new boss to their children until Cathy finally asked

"Say, do you have an Alex Rider in any of your classes?"

Lea looked thoughtful for as moment until replying

"Yes I believe I do! Tenth grade Physics. Hes an absolute darl and very smart too. Why do you ask?"

"Oh I was just curious" Cathy said, quickly changing the subject back to children.

It got to second period and the year tens were piling into her classroom. She watched as Alex came in huddled in with a group of soccer boys whom she supposed he had become acquainted with. While waiting for the rest of the class to file in Cathy found her attention wander back to the boy sitting in the back of the room. His friends were discussing sports and all things boys but Alex seemed disinterested, instead directing his attention to the front of the room. To her. It was as if he was studying her. Watching every move with interest. She broke eye contact hastily as the last dregs of kids sat in their seats.

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The bell rang to signal end of class and all the kids hastily stood to leave the room. Just as Alex was leaving his seat Cathy shook away the nerves and called him up.

"Yes ma'am?" he asked tentatively, averting his gaze to the floor.

'Wait, why did I call him over? Oh my gosh this was a bad idea!' she thought while quickly thinking up an excuse. "Um… I…. was just wondering… How.. how you were settling in?" she improvised.

Looking rather taken aback he hesitated before saying "Quite well, thank you. It's a nice change from cold, miserable London."

Laughing with relief she replied "Oh I bet! I've never been to London but from the movies it looks like cold place."

There was an awkward silence between them for a few seconds both knowing what they wanted to say but not having the guts to bring it up.

"Well I guess I should let you go. I'll see you tomorrow Alex."

Smiling politely at her he hastily exited the classroom.

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Back at home after school Alex was lying on his stomach on the dusty wooden floor in his room. In his hand was his phone and he was staring blankly at the screen that was currently showing a contact number. 'I promised myself I would never contact them again. Don't go running back into their trap Alex, you're better than that.

But I need to know. Y

ou can figure it out yourself.

But what if I can't!

You. Don't. Need. Them!

Yes I DO!'

"Hello?"

"Hey Smithers, Its Alex. Can you do me a favour?"

**I'm sorry I haven't really started a plot yet but I want to do some Beckett character development first! I will try to start the plot in the next chapter!**

**As always reviews are greeted with a very happy smile! (I'm looking at you StolenBook &amp; Alison-Archer)**


	5. Chapter 5

**So yeah….I'm back….Its not like i've been gone for ages Ha..Ha...ha. **

**I am really sorry! **

**I've been trying to figure out a way of Alex and Cathy sort of facing eachother without making it awkward or cliché and I really want it to be entertaining for you guys to read but as I have mentioned before, I am not very good at putting my ideas in writing! I'll try! **

**Thank you for sticking with me though, I really appreciate it! **

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"_Ian? You know how you're dad's brother?" _

_Ian peered over his coffee mug to look into my eyes, probably not really liking the direction this conversation was headed in._

"_Mhm" he hummed, giving me a very curious look._

"_Well," I continued, unfazed by his lack of enthusiasm, "What about mums family? Did she have a brother?" _

"_Yes, she had a brother. And three sisters" He replies rather reluctantly. _

"_Then where are they?" I enquire, continuing to munch down my coco pops._

"_Like, all the kids at school are always talking about these big family barbecues and stuff and I'm like.. we never have big family barbecues." _

_Placing down his mug he looks at me for a while before relying._

"_Well your mother's family live in America. So we can't really go over to their place for weekend barbecues now can we?"_

"_But it's not just the barbecues, Ian! Why didn't I even know about them till now?"_

_Sighing heavily in defeat, Ian drowned the rest of his coffee before bringing his attention back to me. _

"_When your mother moved here with your father she was very young. Her family didn't agree with her seeing him at all let alone moving continents to be with him. So after your mother arrived she got a new phone and never talked to her family again. None of them came or were even invited to the wedding. None of them came to the funeral. I doubt they even know about…"_

_He trailed off but I understood what he meant. _

"_Do they know about me?" I ask trying to fix the awkwardness._

_Sighing and leaning back in his chair while rubbing his eyes Ian replied,_

"_Unless someone else has gotten into contact with them somehow, I highly doubt it."_

Growling in frustration, Alex sat down at a bench, puffing hard. Running, he found, was a great way to clear your head but today it just wasn't working for him. 'What was the likelihood that he just so happened to not only live in the same city as them but also attend the school that one of them teachers at AND have her as one of his teachers?' He thought angrily while steadily getting his breath back. He had two options. One: Pretend he wasn't her son and hope to god the Pleasures and Mrs Rionie never meet long enough to discuss him (Kinda not likely considering Parent Teacher Interviews) or… Confront her about it. 'Well isn't this just fan-bloody-tastic!' He concluded, putting his ear buds in turning for home.

Alex huffed through the door 20 minutes later and jogged over to the fridge for a juice. As he walked out of the kitchen he ran into Sabina and her maths buddy, Caleb.

"Hey Al" they said simultaneously.

Alex had never really talked to Caleb much other than short chats about football (or soccer as they called it) or just general chit chat here and there. He was Alexs age but in Sabinas year level. Needless to say he was a pretty smart 15 year old. All the kids said it had something to do with having a aunt for a teacher but Alex thought the kid was just naturally gifted.

Giving them a polite nod while sculling his juice, he plonked himself on a chair next to Sabina.

"Nice run?" She enquired placing her pen down and shutting her maths book.

"Yeah it was alright. You going to the football game on Saturday Caleb?"

"You mean soccer and yep! Should be great ay? The whole families going cause my little cousin is playing her first match in the juniors."

"Cool. You coming Sab?"

"Oh I suppose. Nothing better to do."

"Don't be so excited!" teased Alex sarcastically.

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"COME ON KIDS WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"

"He's taking for EVER!"

"Shut up!"

"OI Language!"

"English"

"very funny"

All the Rionie's piled into the car and Cathy climbed into the drivers seat.

"Why does _she_ get to ride shotgun?"

"Because I'm cool"

"I'm the oldest!"

"Ladies first!"

"That's not a valid argument for you though"

"I swear to god if you kids don't stop fighting we are turning around and heading straight home!" Cathy declares bring the whole car into silence except from a small huff from the back seat.

After a couple minutes in awkward silence Malia finally broke the ice,

"So is Uncle Toby going to be there?"

"The only reason she's asking is cause she thinks Caleb's hot." Piped up Andy from the back seat.

"EWE that's disgusting! He's my cousin!"

"Andy stop annoying your little sister and yes, Uncle Toby will be there." Cathy clarifies, pulling into the car park.

Climbing out of the car Andy and Malia dashed off leaving Cathy to carry the fold out chairs and the cut up oranges. As she staggered over to the field she caught sight of her big brother staring wide eyed and open mouthed in the direction of the canteen. As Cathy got closer she almost dropped the things she was carrying. There, Standing by the canteen chatting with her nephew was none other than Alex bloody Rider.

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**Another short one….Kinda sorry but kinda not but feeling bad for not feeling as sorry as I probably should…. if that makes sense? I've had a very messed up week so don't judge :) On the plus side the story is actually going somewhere! *Pats self on the back* *wipes proud tear from eye* **

**As always, Reviews make me feel all happy and bubbly inside! xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm writing this because I'm meant to be doing an assignment :) Enjoy!**

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"_Tobs is here!" Yelled Mia, opening the front door._

"_Hey sis, long time no see." I tease, stepping through the door a ruffling her hair which she disapproves of, sprinting up the stairs to fix the disaster I apparently caused . I've barely made it into the house when an arm grabs me from behind and pulls me into the spare room. The door is slammed behind me and I turn only to come nose to nose with one of my other sisters, Helen._

"_Well hello to you too sister dear." I exclaim with a hint of sarcasm._

"_Toby I need you to help me with something." she states._

"_Oh anything, anything for her royal highness!" I pronounce, giving a little curtsy._

"_Toby this is serious!" She exclaims, not looking too pleased with my sarcasm._

"_Mum and dad are going to call a family meeting with just you, me and Cat and I need you to be on my side! Please please please please please!" She rushes out, pulling me into a hug._

_Feeling very confused I look down at my sister and give her a quizzical look._

"_why? What did you do." I question, all sarcasm gone from my voice, replaced by curiosity and a hint of concern._

"_Thats not important. Whats important is that you pick my side cause what ever side you're on is the saide cat always joins and I just need someone to help me with mum and dad so please do this for me!" she begs before leaving the room._

_As Helen had predicted, a family meeting was called half an hour later with just her, me, Cath, Mum and Dad with the two younger ones upstairs in their rooms. _

"_Okay," started mum, "Just a little catch up for you, Toby. Helen has been sneaking out at night to see the boy who lives next door and Catherine has been covering for her. The boy in question is one that her father and I see as far too old and reckless for your little sister but, as we are 'grumpy old people who don't know what we are talking about', we would like your opinion on the matter." She finished taking a seat._

_Feeling a little confused, I looked around at everyone before talking._

"_So wait, how old is this guy?"_

"_19" answered dad._

"_And he lives…..alone?"_

"_Yes"_

"_And he's in college?"_

"_No, he's on a vacation or something. He's a Brit."_

_Raising my eyebrows at that I sit back and consider my response._

"_Well… Thats stupid." I reply turning to Helen who looked at me with pleading eyes. I swallowed the guilt that was building up over what I was about to say and continued._

"_He's my age, Helen. He lives by himself and he isn't even from this country! How are you going to make it work when he goes home? What happens when he starts pressuring you into things you aren't ready for? Huh. I'm sorry but I'm with mum and dad on this one." I finish, sucking in a deep breath, preparing for the attack… but it didn't come. She just looked at me, betrayal in her eyes and I feel my heart suddenly break as I realise I just ruined whatever trust she had in me. All those promises about sticking with her through everything suddenly felt very far away._

_An hour later and I'm sitting in my room reading a college lecture when suddenly I hear sobbing coming from outside my window. I look out to see my little sister leaning into the chest of a man, looking around my age, that had his arms wrapped tightly around her, resting his chin on top her head._

Blond hair, handsome face, brown eyes. 'Oh god' thought Toby 'Cathy was right.' So lost in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice Cathy approaching until she was literally standing right next to him.

"I told you it was him." She stated, dropping the oranges and chair next to his things.

"God…. I'm sorry Cat, I should have believed you!"

"Well lets be real, what are the odds hey?"

"He's bloody friends with my son!"

"Has Caleb ever mentioned him?"

"No never!"

Suddenly Malia came running over followed by a very mischievous looking Andy.

"MUM! ANDY'S BEING MEAN!"

"It was just a factual statement! Gosh take a chill pill!"

"Oh my god! Would you to stop! You have been at each other all day! What gives?"

"I was just mentioning to her that Calebs friend seems to be pretty good looking and maybe she should flirt with him instead of her own cousin!"

"I DON'T FLIRT WITH CALEB!"

"Alright alright you" Cathy points at Malia "Go get the soccer ball from the car and find your team. And you" Cathy rounds on Andy, "Stop for the love god picking on your little sister!"

"Sir yes sir!" They reply in unison, running off in different directions.

Sighing heavily Cathy turns back to her brother to see that his attention has wandered back over to the canteen. Looking over Cathy see's what he is looking so worried about. Strolling over in their direction was Caleb followed by his friend Sabina and lastly, Alex.

Caleb waved as they got closer and she gave him a polite smile.

"Hey Aunt Cath, Dad. You guys remember Sabina right?"

"Yes of course" Replied Toby, giving Sabina a small grin, "How are you?"

"I'm Fine thank you! And Yourself?"

"Good good"

"And this," starts up Caleb again, "is Sabinas brother, Alex."

Shock and confusion showed on both Toby's and Cathy's face but they tried to hide it, giving Alex a somewhat warm smile.

"I didn't realise you had a brother Sabina." stated Toby, the awkward and obviously forced smile still plastered on his face.

"Oh ah yeah" studded Sabina, glancing at Alex.

"I'm adopted." He offered with a smirk at his 'sister'.

"Oh.." breathed Tony, "So where are your-"

"Wanna go get something to eat? I'm starving!" Cut in Alex.

Nodding, both Sabina and Caleb followed him away.

ARARARARARARARARAR

During the match Toby noticed Alex sitting off to the side by himself. Slowly, Toby made his way around the field and sat himself down next to the teen.

"Enjoying the match?" He asked as a way of breaking the ice.

"Yeah its good." He replied, not looking at Toby.

They sat in silence of a couple of minutes, Alex ripping strands of grass from the ground and Toby pretending to be watching the match.

Taking a deep breath he looked at Alex again and opened his mouth.

"So how long have you been living with the Pleasures?" He asked as casually as possible.

"About 3 months now." Replied Alex, still fiddling with the grass, not even glancing at Toby.

"And how are you liking it?" He questioned, trying to sound as genuine as possible.

Obviously it didn't work as Alex dropped all the grass he had unceremoniously yanked from its roots back to the ground and turned, giving Toby a very annoyed look.

"Why don't you just cut to the chase and say whatever you came over here to say."

Looking very shocked he imitated a fish before blurting out,

"What do you mean?"

"Come on. You and I both know you didn't come over here to discuss my living arrangements so why did you come over here?"

Toby paused for a moment to consider how to approach the situation, 'Don't lie. The kids too smart for that' he concluded.

"Where are you parents?" Settling on the slow-ish approach.

"Shouldn't you know?" was Alex's response, causing Toby's cheeks to flush a bright red.

"Because I certainly know" continued Alex, turning his full body towards Toby. "That if I had a sister, I would never have abandoned her the way you did."

And with that Alex stood, stalking away and leaving Toby in a state of shock and guilt.

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**wow ok (1) this chapter took WAY longer than expected to write!**

**(2) OMG THERE IS FINALY SOME KIND OF CONFRONTATION**

**(3) OMG THE CONFRONTATION ALONE TOOK ME LIKE 2 HOURS TO WRITE!**

**and (4) DID I DO A GOOD JOB?**

**Review perhaps? xoxoxoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok I'm back, I'm sorry heres another chapter!**

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A week creped by and the seat at the back of Cathy's year 10 english classroom remained empty. Alex's Absences were getting to Cathy more and more with every passing day. So many unanswered questions were haunting her every thought and she couldn't shake the feeling that she had missed something. The Friday still saw no sign of Alex so Cathy tracked Sabina down at lunch to question her about it.

"Hello Mrs Rionie! How have you been?" Sabina exclaimed enthusiastic as always.

"I'm fine Sabina, dear would I be able to speak to you for a moment?"

A few "oohhhhh's" sounded behind them as they walked away from any unwanted ears.

"You're not in trouble, I was just wondering where Alex is? He's been away all week and I was getting a little concerned."

Sabinas face visibly dropped at Cathy's words and her 'constantly cheerful' mask slipped.

"Oh, um… Alex decided to go back to England."

"How long for?" Questioned Cathy.

"He didn't say, but I wouldn't hold my breath for him to come back."

Shocked, Cathy dismissed Sabina and walked back to her office in a trance. Gone. He was gone?

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It was 10pm Friday night in London and in a nice house in Chelsea, on a the couch watching Die Hard 4.0 was Alex Rider.

"Hey Al" Called Ben, poking his head through the door, "I'm going to bed, make sure you lock the doors before you head up ok?"

"Sure Ben, goodnight."

"Night Al"

Ben's footsteps slowly faded away and Alex let out a long sigh as he lay back, squeezing his eyes shut.

The confrontation at the football match with Toby Beckett had done his head in and made his decision final. He didn't want to be apart of that family. In truth, he didn't want to be apart of any family. Though he tried to convince himself otherwise, it had nothing to do with his mother. He was scared. Alex was genuinely terrified of being apart of a family out of fear of ripping it apart the way he did with Jacks. Her parents lost their only child. They would never have grandkids. They will waste away with no joy of a younger generation with their blood proceeding them. The weight of that on Alex's shoulders crushed him everyday. Going to the Pleasures was a risk he took looking for a way to be normal. It was selfish and it was stupid. There was no way in hell Alex was going to be the cause of stress and fear in that family either. He got what he needed. For a few short weeks Alex felt like an ordinary teenager. Now it was time to throw in the towel and get back to business. Take a step through those doors he had fooled himself into thinking he would never see again. Jones had been thrilled to see him and welcomed him back with open arms. This is where he was supposed to be, this is what he had to do. He couldn't have a family, he couldn't have that emotional element in this line of work. As much as he craved the love of a mother, the guidance of a father, he knew he couldn't.

And so Alex sank further into the couch, the restrictions of his forced occupation finally getting to him, and he cried.

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**oh that got really deep really quickly...**

**Really short I know but it takes time to get back into the swing of things after, oh only 2 months….. soz about that dudes**


	8. Chapter 8

As a part of going back to MI-6, Alex had managed to come up with a deal regarding his schooling situation. Mrs Jones accepted the terms without hesitation and the bank had managed to negotiate with Alex's old school, 'Brookland Comprehensive'. Within a day of arriving back in London, Alex was enrolled in the school once more, much to Alex's best friend Tom's delight.

"Ohhh man Al, school has been way too boring without you! I don't even know how I have survived!" exclaimed Tom, kicking the football to him as he spoke.

"Yeah well there aren't many good things I can say about the bank but if I had to find one it would be that they are very good at convincing people to do what they want. Then again that's also a bad thing when I'm on the other end of that conversation."

"True" Agreed Tom, picking up the ball as it rolled back to his feet. "Well I guess we should head off. I reckon we go get some pizza and celebrate the end of your second first week at Brookland."

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"Toby would you just stop for a second!"

"You're not changing my mind Cat so don't even try."

"Toby stop! You need to listen to me please. You aren't thinking straight. You need to calm down and come at this from a different angle for god's sake!"

"NO! Catherine, you don't get it! Jesus, I'm NOT about to let another person who shares my blood run away to England and never hear from them again! I will not let that happen again! I'm going to London, I'm finding him, and I'm bringing him to his family. His real family." Yelled Toby continuing to pack his suitcase into his car. It was Sunday evening and Cathy had only just decided to bring up the fact that Alex had moved back to England for an indefinite amount of time and Toby was mad to say the least.

"Come on Tobs we don't even know 100% that he is Helens son!"

"Are you serious Cat? Did you not listen to anything I told you about the soccer match!"

Sighing heavily in frustration, Cathy looked into her brother's eyes in defeat.

"You know I'm right" continued Toby, shutting the trunk of his car.

"What if he doesn't forgive us tobs? Wouldn't it be better to…."

"If he doesn't forgive us and he doesn't want this then thats his choice but I want him to at least know it's an option."

"Ok" nodded Cath "Alright, just…. just tell him I'm sorry." she said, trying to hold back tears.

"I will." promised Toby, giving his sister a hug.

ARARARARARARARARARARAR

_Monday afternoon, London_

"Rider, Harris! Is there something you would like to share with the class?" Exclaimed Mr Williams, directing everyone's attention to the back of the room where two boys sat, trying to hide their laughs and failing epicly.

"No Sir" Sniggered Tom in between fits of laughter.

Before Mr Williams could reply the classroom was filled with a voice over the intercom.

"Alex Rider, please come to the front office immediately, Alex Rider to the front office. Thank you."

"Saved by the bell" grumbled Tom as Alex collected his things and giving Mr Williams a salute on the way out.

The very disgruntled teacher then turned his wrath to Tom.

"One more peep out of you Harris and I swear to god…"

The moment Alex stepped out of the classroom the fake smile slipped off his face. 'And so it begins again' thought Alex, making his slow descent to the front office.

As expected upon reaching the office he came face to face with two men in suits looking very out of place in a small, rundown public school.

"Mr Rider we are here to escort you to your doctors appointment in behalf of your guardian. I am afraid she is caught up at work."

Nodding, Alex made his way to the door followed closely by his two "escorts".

As they reached the car Alex turned to them, arms crossed to his chest.

"Identification please."

The two agents exchanged disgruntled looks obviously annoyed at being bossed around by a teenager, however they both produced their I.D which Alex took, examined, nodded and then got into the car leaving the agents highly pissed off.

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"Brookland comprehensive" requested Toby, climbing into the black London taxi outside Heathrow Airport.

He had just spent the last 10 and a half hours on a plane and was extraordinarily tired and jet lagged however the need for answers kept him from going straight to a hotel and sleeping for days. Cathy had sent through Alex's school file which had on it Alex's old school reports, which included the school's name, Alex's marks and teachers comments. The teachers comments supplied Toby with the name of Alex's friend which could come in handy as well as a far from glamorous insight into the boys school life. By the looks of it Alex should have been expelled from the school on many accounts and Toby doubted they would let him back, but it was all he had to work with.

Getting out of the taxi, Toby made his way to the front office, hulting suddenly as a class room door burst open and a teacher screamed "THOMAS HARRIS GET YOUR ARSE TO THE OFFICE RIGHT NOW!" and a small, spiky black haired boy appeared out the door laughing hysterically.

'Tom Harris'. Suddenly Toby thought back to Alex's reports and everything clicked. Picking up his pace, Toby reached the door just as Tom was approaching.

"Tom Harris right?" Asked Toby, trying to put some authority in his voice.

"Yeah…" replied Tom, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm a.. ahh.. representative from Mr and Mrs Pleasure…"

'a representative from mr and mrs pleasure? what the hell am I talking about' thought Toby as he continued to blab out random words hoping he sounded as business like and legitimate as possible while watching Tom's eyebrows move further and further up his forehead.

When he was finished they stood in silence for an awkward second.

"Right. I have no idea what any of that means," replied Tom.

'Neither do I' thought Toby.

"But I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you're looking for Alex. Am I right?"

Letting out a huge internal sigh of relief and giving himself a mental high five, Toby grinned down at Tom.

"Yes."

"Right well, he just left.."

'left?'

"But I can give you his guardian's phone number and you can talk about all that business stuff with him. Is that alright?"

"Yes that would be fantastic!"

Tom quickly scribbled down a number on a piece of paper and handed it to Toby.

"Right, thank you. And good luck in there." encouraged Toby, gesturing to the office.

"Ha, yeah thanks. I'll need it." Replied Tom pushing open the door mumbling under his breath 'bloody Mr Williams' and 'Freaking nutter'.

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**I have no idea what I just wrote and I'm really hoping its good.**

**Review perhaps? :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yea it's been like 5 months and yea this chapters really short and yea im sorry but hear me out! ….. yea i've got no excuse…**

**ARARARARARARARARRARARARARAR**

It was 10 o'clock in the morning when Alex emerged from the bank, battered and bruised but otherwise feeling pretty good considering how bad it could have been. The mission had been a simple one; get it, cause havoc, get out. Unfortunately for Alex a rather thorough beating was involved in there somewhere which showed in a split lip, grazed cheek bone and knuckles, and more bruises than you could point a stick at. No broken bones though and no trips to the hospital which, in Alex's mind, meant a very successful mission indeed.

Knowing Ben would be up and about, Alex just walked straight into the house not bothering with knocking. All he wanted was food, preferably pizza, a big steaming mug of coffee and a beautiful comfy bed.

Walking into the kitchen however all thoughts of pizza were quickly wiped from his mind. Sitting there at the dining table across from Ben, holding a mug of tea, was none other that Toby Beckett.

**ARARARARARARARARARARARAR**

_1 Hour Earlier_

Toby tentatively made his way up the path leading to a beautiful Chelsea house. He had hesitantly called Alex's guardian two days ago and it had gone surprisingly well! The man, Ben, was very understanding of Toby's situation and had invited him over so they could discuss how to move forward over a cup of tea.

And so here Toby was, standing in front of the door, wondering whether the man would be as kind and understanding in person and considering turning around and aborting mission.

Before he could make a decision however the decision was made for him as the door opened revealing a tall, dark haired, well built man, probably in his early thirties.

"Toby right?" Questioned the man.

"Yes, I.. I'm Toby"

"Ben" Replied the man sticking out his hand "Pleasure to meet you"

After shaking hands, Ben showed Toby through the house and into the kitchen where a kettle was whistling on the stove.

"Ok, we have Green tea, Black Tea, Herbal, Chai or mint."

"Aaa I'll have green please."

"Coming right up."

Soon they were both sitting across from eachother at the dining table, sipping their drinks.

"So, Toby" started Ben, breaking the silence. "You have got yourself in a bit of a pickle."

Placing down his tea Toby looked up at Ben, slightly confused.

"A pickle? What do you mean?"

"Well you said over the phone you and your sister are 99.9% sure Alex's mother, Helen, is your sister right?"

"Yea.."

"Ok look, Alex has had a lot of family issues in the past and I don't think he is going to be to happy with the fact that you guys are only coming out now."

"Well we didn't even know he existed until now."

"Yeah but that's not exactly his fault is it?"

Toby looked away from Ben sighing in frustration.

"So, what, you're saying I should just go home and forget about him?"

"No no no I'm just saying you better be damn sure you want to go down this path because it's going to be a long and treturous one."

The both paused for a second studying each other.

"I want to go down this path. I want to help him."

Ben leaned back in his chair and smiled, "Well then, I'll be happy to help."

"Just one question, where is Helen and John? Like why did they leave him in such a mess?"

Ben's smile turned into a confused stare, "You don't know?"

"know what?" questioned Toby, dread building up in his stomach.

At that moment the front door opened and into the kitchen walked a very battered looking Alex. He stopped in his tracks upon spotting Toby, shock taking over his features.

**ARARARARARARARARARARARAR**

**Ok so I'm in a bit of a mess right now where this isn't exactly going where I wanted it to go and I'm silently cursing my 11 year old self for getting me into this mess! I am trying very hard to get it back on track but that might take a few short-ish chapters such as this one. Hopeful once I figure out what the hell I was thinking when I started this story I will be able to get it up to standard.**


	10. Chapter 10

There was a long pause filled with that ringing silence which isn't really silence because all parties involved have a deafening roar engulfing their heads. Yeah, that sort of silence. Broken after what felt like a millennium by Alex breaking down in laughter.

"Well this is just fucking fantastic!" Gasped out Alex between bouts of laughter.

"_Representative from the Pleasure _that's the best you could come up with seriously? I mean sure Tom probably would have punched you in the balls if you had told him the truth but _representative from the Pleasure? _Oh man…"

Slowly Alex regained his composure enough to walk the 8 steps into the kitchen and pick up the phone.

"Hi, yea can I please have the biggest pepperoni pizza you can make with more cheese than the Twilight Series?"

Toby looked on, frozen in utter shock as Alex delivered the address and hung up. The boy then turned, keeping his back to Toby and poured himself a huge, steaming mug of coffee. Finally, with the mug in hand he slowly made his way to the table where Ben and Toby were situated, and sat down next to his guardian.

"What are you doing here, Toby?" Alex asked, taking a sip from his coffee.

"Well-"

"Actually, scratch that, I don't care. Um, look I have been trying to wrap my head around you and your sister for a while now and I just… I don't get you. Either of you, any of you really!"

As Alex finished, studying Toby the man tried to form words but found that he really couldn't. He could not explain himself to a fifteen year old boy.

Alex leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"It took you guys to meet me to start asking questions you should have been asking years ago. And I don't get that. Maybe I am naive, you see I never had siblings. Maybe if I did I would get to a point where I wouldn't talk to them for years as well. I don't know. I don't have siblings unless you count Sabina and I'm sorry I love Sabina dearly but I haven't known her since birth so you see it is just not the same."

Sighing, Alex leaned back again averting his eyes from Toby, deep in thought.

"I would give anything to know my mother the way you did."

"Al-" Ben started but was cut off abruptly.

"I would give anything to have a fight with her. Like I can't imagine what it is like to storm up to your room and slam the door behind you after losing a fight with your mother. But I can imagine Helen would have been a pretty hard person to fight." Alex smiled. "My uncle Ian always told me my dad was a hard person to win a fight of wits against. The only person he had ever seen do it was Helen. He said it was like watching two encyclopedias have a wrestling match. That's why he loved her so much, and he loved her so _so _much."

As Alex talked Toby watched him, letting his tea go cold. He felt like the boy was telling him everything yet revealing nothing. There was a cold stone buried deep within Toby's gut, radiating a chill throughout his body with every word Alex spoke and he knew. He had known for a while he believes he just never wanted to face it. Why did his sister never call him? After all these years surely she missed him. Because Helen was stubborn, and she was a hot head, and she always won fights… Well, almost always. But she was also the first to seek reconciliation. The first to forgive. He believed she would be the first to pick up the phone after 20 years and say "Hey." if she could. And here was this boy. Her boy. So much like her and yet, broken. Lacking her fiery attitude and fierce optimism. What had gone wrong? Why had this happened?

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Ben quietly closed the door behind him, careful not to wake the sleeping boy and made his way down the stairs. He paused for a second looking into the lounge room where Toby sat, clutching a fresh cup of tea and staring intently at his phone. Ben slowly straightened up, clearing his throat. Two blood shot eyes looked up at him and he sighed as he made his way into the room, sitting in an armchair opposite the despairing man.

"I don't understand." Choked out Toby, "How could this happen? How.. how could my sister… why were we not told?"

Ben took a deep breath and leaned forward, looking Toby in the eye.

"There's still… A lot you don't know about this situation. It's hard to wrap your head around it I know that."

"Surely she talked about us, surely people knew about us. That she had a family that deserved to know, that deserved to have a say in where her son lived, I just…"

"I know."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Toby sipping his tea and Ben studying him.

"Have you called your sister yet?" asked Ben.

"No." Replied Toby, shaking his head. "I don't know what I would say to her. I feel like it's more of a face to face conversation."

Toby put his tea down and gripped his hair in frustration.

"I've got to tell my parents, all my sisters. I don't know if I can do that. And Alex…" Toby sighed. "He's going to have to experience all that grief again, all that pain of losing both his parents is going to bubble up again and he just wants to forget."

"Well, that's only if he decides to go home with you." Stated Ben.

"You don't think he will?"

"I honestly don't know. I have spent a long time trying to wrap my head around the mind of Alexander Rider. I figure it's easier just to be there for him, whatever he decides."

And with that the two of them once again warped into silence.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning Toby made his way out of the guest room to find Alex sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in his hand. The boy looked up as Toby walked in then hastily looked back down at his coffee. This gave Toby a chance to study the boy. There was a prominent bruise formed around his left cheekbone and along his jaw and he notices a set of scabbed, purple knuckles carrying the cup to his lips.

"_There's still a lot you don't know about this situation."_

Ben's words echo through his ears as he moves towards the coffee jug and pours himself a cup.

This may be his flesh a blood sitting before him but he did not know him. The boy was a stranger as far as they were all concerned.

"Look Toby, I-"

"No Alex, I think you've talked enough, it's, it's my turn now."

Much to Toby's surprise Alex backed down, taking a long drink of his coffee. Toby took in a deep breath and looked at the boy in front of him.

"You don't know me. And you don't know my sister or my parents of any of our family. That's not your fault. I struggle to say it's ours either but we certainly had more of a say in it then you did and for that I am sorry."

Alex looked at his coffee intensely for a while a Toby wondered whether he should continue when suddenly the boy started speaking.

"I always dreamed of something like this happening. Long lost family members showing up to take me away. To give me a chance at experiencing what it is like to be loved by your own flesh and blood. But now that it's happened I just…" The boy took a deep breath finally looking up at Toby for the first time since he walked in.

"I'm sorry Toby but I can't do this. I can't uproot my life again. And yeah, life isn't nearly as good as it could be here but I'm okay with that. I've finally accepted what my life is and what I'm going to do. And I'll be sure to take your family into consideration from now on and, I don't know maybe, one day I'll be able to see you guys as family but right now? Right now, I just need to figure myself out and be happy with who I am and what my life is. Do you understand?"

Toby looked sadly at the boy in front of him resigned to the fact that he would be travelling home solo.

"Alex, I wish I could tell you that I don't. I wish I had some amazing speech to give that would convince you to come home with me but, I get it. And I just hope that one day you'll be able to look at me and see family."

ARARARARARARARARA

Toby disembarked the plane the next day feeling both heart broken but also oddly fulfilled. There had been a hole in his life for quite a while where his little sister used to be and now it seemed to be sealed. Not healed exactly but also no longer there.

Telling his sisters and his parents about Helen was possibly the hardest thing he had ever had to do and then informing them of Alex and his decision to stay in England was just the icing on the cake of an already pretty shit day. But he knew the boy had made the right decision. There was so much uncertainty when it came to getting to know a new family, he knew that when it came to getting to know his wife's parents and his sisters husbands. This was different but the same idea. He just hopped, along with the rest of the family, that perhaps one day Alex would find his way back to them, and they'd be a real family.


End file.
